


Warmth

by Scarlettthelazywriter



Series: Viravos Soft Touches and Loving Kisses [4]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Body Worship, Light Angst, M/M, No Sex, Praise, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Loathing, accidental comedy at parts oopsy, i mean they're naked but they don't bone, soft, stinky man need wosh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-13 17:53:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18945928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlettthelazywriter/pseuds/Scarlettthelazywriter
Summary: Viren's mental state had lead to him neglecting his personal hygiene. Aaravos wants to get closer. Hey man, bubble baths solve both of those things!





	Warmth

**Author's Note:**

> this takes place a day after Help Me. enjoy!

Viren stank. There was no way to put it kindly or lightly in his mind, and he was painfully aware that he had neglected his personal hygiene due to his emotional distress.

Aaravos, gods bless him, hadn’t said a word about it, though he could surely smell him. What a soldier. Viren would make him suffer no longer.

“If you need to…to..um…relieve yourself…do it now, if you could.” Viren scratched his cheek sheepishly. He should count himself lucky that a weird dimension inside a mirror had a bathroom at all, but having only one was still inconvenient at times. “I’ll try to be quick. Are we out of soap or anything?”

Aaravos looked up from his bed, where he lay on his stomach, head resting comfortably on his crossed arms, and shook his head, smiling. “There is no need to be quick. Warm water is a treasure finer than the most precious jewels.” He chuckled to himself, low and smooth. Oh gods, that chuckle. Viren gulped, his throat suddenly a little dry.

“Ah. Y-yes. Good. I will, um, see to it. Then. If you’ll excuse me.” He turned to leave, feeling a bit flustered. Even now, even with them sharing the same space for weeks, Aaravos made Viren feel like a mess so easily. _Well, we haven’t seen each other as much as we should._ Viren felt a pang of guilt as his brain reminded him of his attempts to isolate himself in his sadness and worry, but tried to brush it off. He and Aaravos were on good terms again, and he would make it up to the beautiful elf somehow.

“Would you enjoy company, Viren?” Aaravos’s voice snapped Viren out of his thoughts. It took a few seconds to process the words. Company?

…oh. OH.

Viren felt his face flush red. He didn’t know how to respond to that! “I, u-um, well, that is, i-if you’d like to…to go first I can wait—”

“I don’t want to wait.” Aaravos was somehow right behind him. Could he teleport, or were his footsteps so graceful that Viren hadn’t noticed him walk across the room? He draped his starry arms around the mage, placing his head on his shoulder. “I would like to see a…new side of you.” _See me naked._ Viren thought, sending another wave of heat to his face and spreading through his entire body. It wasn’t outright sex, but the thought of skin on skin in such a close proximity made him feel anxious. Not because he didn’t want it. Dear lord, he wanted it. It had just been so long since he had been so close to someone while being so exposed. So vulnerable. “We do not have to share the water if you don’t want to, of course.”

“N-no, I…” He wanted to push past his nervousness. Wanted to be close to Aaravos. But to see him, all of him…what would the elf who looked like he had robbed the gods of their beauty and kept it all for himself think when he did? _It’s okay. If he doesn’t like it, I can whip up a spell and change myself. I can fix myself. It’ll be okay. Besides, he offered, not me! It’s fine. He wants to see me. It’s fine. Stop being a chicken. Come on!_ “I..would love to.”

“Wonderful.” Aaravos’s voice was almost a purr. Viren hoped he stayed that happy and wouldn’t be too disappointed.

 

 

 

 

The bathroom was exquisite as far as bathrooms went. The floor was made of some sort of blue crystal. The walls shimmered with purple, and there was a reasonably-sized bathtub made of marble and trimmed with gold. Even with the tub’s size, however, fitting two people would be a bit of a squeeze.

Viren stepped over to the tub and began to chant, squashing one of the waxworms they kept in the bathroom for this specific purpose. Conjuring them didn’t strain Aaravos’s body, and creating water was the least Viren could do to minimize how much the still-sore elf used magic. Water flowed out of the mage’s palms, filling the tub at a decent pace. As he stood there, Aaravos uncorked a bottle of some kind of oil and let a few drops fall into the water, causing it to bubble and foam and smell a bit like watermelon and strawberries. He took a small whiff before putting the cork back in. Viren crushed another wax worm and, this time, fire came from his palms, warming the water as Aaravos placed his hand in it. After a minute or so, he nodded and Viren extinguished the fire. Now, all he had to do was…get in…naked…with someone easily one million times more attractive than he. Shit.

He must have been standing there frozen, because he felt hands slipping beneath his robe and to his shoulders, moving beneath his sleeves and slowly sliding the coat off his body. He felt his breath hitch and he involuntarily let out a shuddered sigh. Good lord. He was still starved somehow. Or maybe…

He heard his pants hit the floor and he nearly stiffened like a frightened goat. It suddenly hit him that Aaravos really didn’t have any qualms about seeing his boring, plain human body and it made his heart race faster out of nervousness. Nervousness, or…

“First or second?” Aaravos asked, nodding his head towards the water as he began to take his own clothes off.

“S-second.” _If he gets in first, you could puss out like a bitch and say you’re not in the mood._ Did the human brain ever stop talking shit? Was it capable of such a thing? Viren just watched as the elf stepped into the water. Oh gods. Oh gods he was even more beautiful than Viren had thought before. Stars shimmered across his toned back that was graced with his perfect hair that was as clean and white as fresh snow. His legs were powerful without being especially muscular, and his ass…good lord, his _ass!_ The finest sculptures didn’t have an ass that perfect! The most detailed, painstakingly painted paintings could never recreate such an ass! How in the name of every deity, every magical source, every planet in the heavens and star in the sky, could one man, one _living_ _creature_ that had ever lived or ever would live, have an ass so perfect as his?! Viren was suddenly painfully aware of his own flat old man butt and felt ashamed. He took comfort in the fact that, in the presence of Aaravos’s ass, anyone would feel a crushing weight of inferiority just by being in the same plain of existence as it was.

“Well?” Aaravos purrs, beckoning Viren with a slender elven finger. He’s smiling, eyes lidded, already relaxed by the bath water and the bubble oil. He was still debating on a name for that stuff. Bath bubbles, maybe. Tub oil? Tub oil.

Viren gulped, taking a small step forward. _Do it. Do it, coward. You won’t._ He placed a foot into the water, tensing up. Aaravos moves his legs to make as much space as he can. Another foot. He holds the side of the tub as he slides the rest of his body into the warm, inviting, elf-filled water. _Suck it, me._ He thinks smugly, and then feels like a jackass.

“I can, um, m-massage your back if you like.” Viren stammers out. Gods he’s so beautiful. He can’t look him in the eyes right now.

“Would you? I would greatly appreciate it, my dear.” My dear? What was it about warm water that made people feel so…relaxed? Did it dissolve their filters or something? Aaravos didn’t want to scare the poor man. He had already asked that they bathe together, and Viren had been as red as a lobster since! He was nervous and fidgety, and while a part of him enjoyed making his…friend? Lover? All flustered and gooey at the simplest of things, this was more than his cute nervousness. This was something more, and Aaravos was second-guessing his request. He wanted to get closer to Viren, but if it made him genuinely anxious and uncomfortable, he didn’t want to keep doing it at this pace. He felt the mage’s hands glide down his back, and he let out a sigh of contentment. The water, coupled with Viren’s hands, were doing wonders for his sore body, and he felt as if he could melt. He felt the soap bar being rubbed against him and remembered that, oh, bathing had been why Viren was even in this tub. He chuckled to himself, causing Viren’s hands to shudder a little. Ah, _there_ was the normal, good flustered. He was so easy to please. So easy to make feel good and gratified and pleasantly fidgety and adored and…and why wasn’t he feeling that now? Was his sadness still swirling within him? Did he still doubt that Aaravos wanted him? He felt warm water being poured onto his hair from Viren’s cupped hands, taking him out of his thoughts.

“So, um, d-does elven hair need any, uh, special treatment or, or anything?” Viren’s voice was nervous in an entirely different way, and Aaravos didn’t like it. What could he do?

“No no. It is the same as human hair.” Aaravos said reassuringly.

“Ah, okay. I can just…” he felt the mage’s hands run through his long hair, spreading soap through the wet strands. His hands were shaky, but they were gentle and oh-so careful. Elven hair didn’t tangle as much as human hair, but Aaravos appreciated the consideration regardless. He felt Viren move his fingers behind his pointy ears, causing the elf to giggle. Viren’s hand pulled back in surprise.

“Sorry, just a bit ticklish. I did not mean to startle you.” _Oh, gods he’s perfect._ Viren’s heart fluttered. _How is he_ cute, _too?!_  It was almost too much to bear. There was such a gap between them. Such a difference. Viren was a solid 1 on a good day and Aaravos was like… _a million_. How could someone like him ever so much as humor a shabby, out of shape, boring, plain human like him? It couldn’t be for his personality. He was a pathetic, clingy old man who had ruined every relationship he had ever had with another creature. Oh. It was because he was the only one on this side of the mirror. That was it. He was literally the only other living thing besides the worm that Aaravos could touch. He could conjure an illusion, though! Well, illusions must not give the same sensation. Yeah. That had to be it. His loathing was suddenly replaced with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Despite his ugliness, despite his lousy personality, despite offering _literally nothing_ special now that they were in the mirror together, Aaravos made time for him. No, he didn’t just make time. He _wanted_ him. Wanted his time and his presence and…him. He had proven it time and time again. Viren was filled with an irresistible urge to praise him for this.

Aaravos felt soft lips touch his back, heard soft murmurings that got loud enough for him to understand them. “Perfect. You are so, so perfect.” The kisses went up his back and to his neck, causing Aaravos to moan happily. They peppered his shoulders, his head, his ears, all the while Viren poured compliments onto him.

“You are so kind and smart and gentle and patient and capable and magnificent and…” Viren kept finding new words to compliment Aaravos with, and the elf was happy that the filter thing wasn’t just for him. He heard desperate earnestness in every word, every syllable, every breath the mage took, and it made his face feel warm and his heart even warmer. A feeling stirred there, sweet and kind and sentimental, but it did not yet have a name. its face was still unknown to the both of them, as the feeling within him longed to unite with the feeling within the other, both nameless and unknown but very much alive and well. Alive and growing.

Viren was tracing the constellations on Aaravos’s back now. He had transitioned from praising him to praising his body, and the words were far more cluttered, more hard to find, as if his body were a concept too gorgeous for his tongue to articulate. But good lord did he try. His words were filled with admiration and sincerity and…pain? The elf listened intently on the things he was saying, trying to pick up the things that the mage didn’t want to say, wasn’t _trying_ to say, but were coming out anyway in little scraps and pieces.

“So beautiful. So, so beautiful. No one could ever be as beautiful as you, Aaravos.”

“Not a single flaw anywhere to be seen. Perfect, so perfect.”

“Your hair is so silky and easy to manage. So long and flowy.”

“So fit. So amazingly fit. The finest sculpture would bow before you if it ever got the privilege to see you.”

“Of all the sights I have ever seen, you are the most awe-inspiring, Aaravos. You are the most godlike.”

To anyone else, they might not seem to hold any sorrow, but Aaravos had spent enough time with Viren to hear his words properly, to pick up on the things he didn’t say out loud but said clearly. He had made it a point to do so with more attention after realizing how sad he had been, and that sadness was there, nigh imperceptible, but punctuated in every word of praise that fell from the mage’s lips.

 No one could ever be as beautiful as you, Aaravos. _Including me._ Perfect, so perfect. _I am imperfect._ Your hair is so silky and easy to manage. _And mine tangles so easily._ So fit. So amazingly fit. _I hate my body._ You are the most godlike. _And I’m worshipping it because I feel like a sinner._ It tore at his heart. He wanted to banish those thoughts away from Viren, wanted to make it so they could never hurt him again. Human thoughts, however, were far more immortal than any god. Persistent like disease and toxic like treefrog poison. They ate away at their host from the inside, leaving them a miserable husk of a person. He had seen it far too many times, and he knew that, for the most part, he was powerless.

But he wouldn’t give up so easily. Perhaps he couldn’t stop Viren’s decay, or perhaps he would be incredibly lucky and find a way to defeat his demons, but whatever the future held, there was something he could do right now, something so simple. It was amazing, really. It didn’t even require him to use magic or be dishonest, and he wouldn’t use either lies or arcana, for he would say only the words he truly felt. He shifted his position, water sloshing out of the tub a bit as he did and placed his hands on Viren’s chest as he gently pressed him against the side of the tub.

“What are you—” his words were cut off as Aaravos kissed him sweetly, lips pressing against his, tongue licking against them, begging his mouth to open, to let Aaravos further in. Viren did so without hesitation, wrapping his arms around the elf’s shoulders and holding him close. The mage’s mouth tasted of mint and adoration, allowing the elf to delight in its warmth. Viren’s hands began to caress Aaravos’s back, eliciting a happy hum from the elf as he moved his own hands to cup Viren’s face. He broke the kiss slowly, opening his eyes to watch as Viren opened his as well. He admired how gray and full of fulfillment they were, thankfulness and adoration shimmering in pools of cool, calm tree wood-colored eyes. So, intelligent, so affectionate, so

“Lovely.” Aaravos said softly. He heard Viren swallow, felt his hands tremble. The elf moved his lips to the mage’s wet neck, placing kisses as he trailed down to his chest. “So soft. So warm. So inviting.”

“Aaravos—” his name came out like a whimper.

“So beautiful, so handsome.” He placed a kiss on Viren’s soft belly, running a hand down the side of it slowly.

“Aaravos, no…” Aaravos looked up to see Viren’s eyes squeezed shut. He felt the rise and fall of his tummy quicken, saw him bite his lip the way one might if they wanted to hold back words. Or a cry. “You don’t…you don’t have to…”

“Do what?” Aaravos scooted back up, bringing his mouth next to Viren’s ear. He wrapped his arms around the mage’s waist, nuzzling him. He heard Viren’s breath shudder. Humans always became emotional when given praise, especially when they didn’t believe the words being said. It was as if the mere notion that they weren’t all the bad things that their brains told them they were was too much for their bodies to handle, and the only way to express this was to cry. Aaravos knew he couldn’t make Viren believe what he felt, but he had to try. Wanted to try. “You are so clever, Viren. So eager to please those you care for. To try to be more than a nameless face.”

“Please—”

“I adore you, Viren. I care for you so much. Do you know that? Truly? Do you know how much you mean to me?”

“Y-yes, I—”

“ _Do_ you?” he kissed the bottom of Viren’s neck, sucking lightly. “Do you?”

“I…I’m…”

“So important to me.” Aaravos gazed into Viren’s eyes, expression soft, genuine. He touched Viren’s forehead with his own, closing his eyes and whispering at his mouth. “So important to me. Irreplaceable. Precious.” He smiled. “More precious than warm water.”

Viren’s eyes fluttered shut. He wanted to drink in Aaravos’s scent, feel his body against his forever, wanted to take his words within himself and never let them go. His mind wouldn’t let him believe them, his tears rejected them, but he knew Aaravos meant every single one. That was enough for him. That was enough to make him feel better.

“Thank you.”

“I am merely speaking the truth. There is no need for thanks.” Aaravos spoke softly. That voice. Oh, gods, that voice. They lay there like that for a solid five minutes, enjoying the warmth of the water. Of each other. Of the feelings that they couldn’t name just yet, but would.

“I never got clean.” Viren laughed quietly, and Aaravos followed suite.

“I can help you with that.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> muh twitter https://twitter.com/Schmoogin
> 
> muh art twitter https://twitter.com/Schmoogindraws
> 
> muh twitch https://twitch.tv/schmoogin


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